Many officials in Pennsylvania, especially in the Scranton area where President Joe Biden hails fromand are calling on the city to reverse the 2021 renaming of the highway in his honor.
State Rep. Jimmy Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to be leading the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden's recent pardon of a judge convicted in a “kids for money” scandal in which he took bribes for sentencing juveniles in for-profit prisons.
Wilkes-Barre Common was convicted by Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by house arrest due to COVID-19 until Biden's pardon.
Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor crimes such as jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal.
The former Scranton Central Expressway – now President Biden's Expressway – diverges from I-81, which continues toward Binghamton, New York (Charles Kretz)
“In light of the Biden administration’s recent decision to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I am calling on city officials and Mayor Paige Gebhart Cognetti to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the highway sign that leads to the heart of the Electric City.” “Downtown area.”
In 2021, the Mayor and City Council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway off Interstate 81 and its continuation across then-Spruce Street through downtown as the “President Biden Expressway” and “Biden Avenue,” on straight. .
The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as “Biden Ave” northbound US-11, which in turn meets the end of the vernacular “Route 9” – the northeastern extension of Pennsylvania.
“The children affected by Conahan’s actions nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his actions of self-actualization,” Walsh said in a statement.
Former Luzerne County Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. (AP Photo/Citizens Voice, Mark Moran)
“Crimes against children are eternal, and there is no escaping the irreparable harm these predators have caused by their actions.”
Walsh argued that the issue is nonpartisan but “right versus wrong” and that Biden no longer deserves memorialization because his pardon “exonerates (Conahan's) conduct” as a signal to future corrupt government officials.
Elected state representative. Brenda Pugh, Republican of Luzerne, He told WBRE That Conahan's behavior is “a blight on the state of Pennsylvania” and that Biden's pardon is “nothing short of a farce.”
“Clemency is a miscarriage of justice,” Pugh said, adding: “Clemency is a miscarriage of justice.” President Biden's highway Therefore, “there will forever be a scar that reminds people of what happened here (at NEPA).”
Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermack made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter stating that returning “Biden Street to Spruce Street” would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of our values. City.
“This (pardon) brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city’s reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole,” Chermack wrote.
In an interview Friday, Cognetti said Biden's relieving of Conahan was a “terrible mistake” that opened “deep and horrific” wounds for Scranton residents and NEPA residents.
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Biden and Democratic Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti (Reuters)
She reiterated Gov. Josh Shapiro's observation earlier this week that Conahan's sentence was too light in the first place.
“(The issue) was just the stuff you think a screenwriter couldn't make up — how systemic this scandal was and how deep it ran,” Cognetti said.
She said she contacted the White House to report her concerns, and that she was saddened to learn that Conahan's prison sentence reduction was irreversible.
Cognetti noted that she currently serves as mayor due in part to the general corruption of other officials as well.
His predecessor, Bill Courtright, resigned in July 2019 amid convictions for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright's departure led to two brief interim chiefs before Cognetti was elected in November of that year as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat.
Cognetti added that calls to remove Biden's name from roads are not new and are still based mostly on partisanship.
“The President is from here, and there are few communities that can boast being the birthplace of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and feel proud to have a son of Scranton in his hometown as President.”
Cognetti added: “I think the two issues are being conflated for political reasons. I would like us to deal with these matters as they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government.”
“This is separate from the president’s legacy of 50 years in office and being Scranton’s most successful son.”
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Biden Street; Formerly Spruce Street (Getty)
When asked recently about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said presidents have the “unique and absolute” power to do so, but must exercise it “incredibly carefully.”
“I examine every case that comes across my desk where there is a request for clemency, clemency, or worse, or commutation. I take it very seriously,” said Shapiro, who previously served as prosecutor.
“I feel very strongly that President Biden completely got it wrong and caused a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This has not only been a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it has also affected families in deep, profound and really sad ways,” he said.
